Mail-bag catching and delivering device.



J. J. CRUSH.

MAIL BAG GATCHING AND DELIVERING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30,1909.

Patented July 20, 1909.

'UNITED STATES PATENT forrron.

JAMES JEFFERSON .CRUSE, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS;

Specification of Letters Patent.

MAIL-BAG CATCHING ANILDELIVERING DEVICE.

Patented July Q0, 1909.

Application filed April so, an. Serial No. 493,068.

To all whom it may concern:

v Be it known that 1, JAMns JEFFERSON Cause, a citlzen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and.

State of Texas have'inventedpertain new and useful Imp ove nents in Ma'il- Bag Catching and Delivering Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

' clear, and exact description of theinvention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. i

This invention relates to mechanism for holding, delivering and catching mail bags, in which the ends of the bag are held yieldingly' by an upper and a lower means of support on a car or along the track, the bag being caught about the middle by a device along the track or on another car, and thus removed from said supports or mailbag holdin arms and retained by such device.

.Mechanism of this kind has sometimes been arranged in sets of three members two of said members being the said sup ortsor arm's and the other ineniberbelng't e. mail bag catching device above referred "to." 1 In such cases the twhcoiiperating sets respectively on the train and along the tracker on two passin'g trainsrhave naturally been arranged] in a complementary way,'w1th the catching" device ofeachset on a horizontal plane be tween the planes of the Supporting devices of theother set, one mail bag catching de vice being therefore above the mail" bag holding arms of its own set and the other catching. device being below the corresponding arms of its set."

i The chief object of the present invention 1 is to improve such mechanism thus arranged in complementary sets byomakin its-action more reliable, adapting it to di erent' con-.

ditions, guarding against accident and maintaining a high durability.

To these "ends the said invention consists in the construction andcombination of parts hereinafter more particularly set forth and claimed In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a perspective View of mechanism applied to a car and station embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a detail plan view of one of the extenslble bag holding arms; and Fig.

' 3, a similar view of one of the bag catching 1 same ,d'evice'sland the adjustable arm carrying the standard of strength and A designates a standard shown as attachedto a car X, though equally adapted to location along the track and providect G attached "to the latter, the rear end of sec- 7 tion F being formed into a dog f which engages at will any one of a'longitudinal series of teeth Z) on said maininner sectidn. The side of the latter opposite to said series is provided with a corresponding series of teeth 15 similarly engaged by a pawl H, which is pivotally supported by a metallic connecting loop 1, passing also through the rear part of section Toadjust this section forward or backward this pawl and the dog-f are freed from the teethb I) with which they have been respectively engaged, the said section is slipped forward or back ward the distance between one tooth or two teeth or more and said dog and pawl are thenanade to engage again with otherjteeth of the same series. The outer end of the section F is provided with a pivoted termi nal finger or tip F which is adapted to turn backwardso that it will not receive or in- It is normally held yieldin ly in alineinent with section by a spring 5 attached to the latter, and after yielding, is returned to such position thereby. The middle arm (1' has the same construction of extensible outer section K, dog is, pawl L, guide loop N, connecting loop 0', teeth c and 0 finger or tip K and spring M operating as above described. It is preferably rigid with standard 'A. Hence there is no need ofa sprii-ig corresponding to J nor ofithe recess A, and the arm C, as shown, will remain always 4 horizontal. Each ofthe fingers F and K is provided with a small notch f or lc for receiving and detachably retaining, rings at the topand bottom of the mail bag Z; or any othersuitable provision may be made for permitting the mail bag to be conveniently taken from said fingers, but holchng it upflint injury. by brushing. againstany object.

lid

right in the space between them with at V ward end of section P a -also provided with pawl Q, dog .3), guideloop S and teeth at and 0? loop R connectin all substantially ike those of corresponding.

termiparts of arms B and C. There is no nal finger or yielding tip; but at the for- V-shaped integral (frame T is connected by ahinge t and a strap a, said hinge permitting said frame to fold down at will and said strap engaging a stud 'v on said arm to hold said frame rigidly horizontal, with its diverging bars presented in the direction of travel: or if the arm D standard A be setup beside the track the .said arms will be presented in the opposite way. A V-shaped catch W is pivoted at its apex on top of one of said bars near the and may turn over the top of the frame into reverse position, being thereafter held in such position by its weight and by and turn said catch and the motion of any one. of a series of teeth V in the top of the other diverging bar of the frame. When ready for use one arm or bar of catch W open space of frame T, the train or trains'will cause the middle part of the mail .bag on the bag holding arms of the other standard U, which is fixed beside the track or carried by another train, to strike against said bar thereby inclosingthe middle part of said bag between said catch and the apex of the extends across the so that said bag is drawn off from the said arms and supported in said frame until detached by an attendant. This latter action requires the turning back of the catch into its former position, ready to receive another bag. The said frame and catch thusconstitute a mail bag catching device'. The other standard U is provided with arms B C and D in reverse order, D being at the topand the opening, A at the bottom and ,the arm B turnmg downward instead of action of the-spring E, which is arranged below it, not-aboveit as before described. The mail be catching device of standard U is arrange opposite the iniddle'of the s ace'betwenthe arms B C of standard A and the arms B C of standard upward under the frame as m a pocket,

U are arranged to present the middle of. the

mail bag opposite the maileba catching device of standard ab ve escribed. In other respects the arms BiGfD mahave the same construction in both cases. ither set of arms B C D may however dispense with the extensible outer sections F K P,

hereinsupported by standard Us I 4 The adjustability of the length of the arms B C D compensates for' any variation in the distance between the car and" the devices along the track, such as may occuron different roads or be incident to repairs and changes of construction: but this is sufliciently provided'for by'lnakingone ofthe sets thus adjustable, the other set having the simpler and cheaper construction of the arms shown as attachedto standard U. Of course the arms will ordinarily be 0 erative of the rbad and rolling stock remainin un changed. Also the fingers at the en s of arms B and C may be rigid, whether the said arms be adjustable as to length or not, and will leave the mechanism still 0 erative. But this change is at some risk an a certain detriment.

The standard A, when carried by a mail car, as shown in Fig. 1 is pivotally su ported'withinthe "same, so that it may e turned out through the door-way of the car for delivering or catching the mail and turned in again out of the way when not needed, its extensible arms being contracted temporarily to permit such operation.- The ends of said standard are provided with journals Z which turn in metallic bearin s Z attached respectively to the door s11 and to any convenient fixed part of the structure. While delivering or receiving'the by hand orby any convenient catch.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

1. A mail bag catching device consisting of a V-shaped frame having notches or teeth on one of'its divergingbars and a .V-shaped into reverse position and engage the saidnotches, locking said bag between the said catch and frame substantially as set forth.

I the pivoted fin-- gers or tips are attached directly to the mainthese tips or fingers.

and catch of the mailtbag catching device and satisfactory, ifall have th1s simp er con struction, the measurements and conditions .mail bag, the standard A may be held steady The standards along the track may becatch ada'pted to be turned by the mail bag I 2. A mail bag catching device consisting ,of a V-shaped frame having notches or teeth 'onftop of one of its diverging bars and a V-shaped catch pivoted to the other bar of. said frame, adapted to'be arranged in part across the space between tlie bars of the frame to be struck and turned by themail bag and alsoadapted in reverse position to engage, said notches and lock said bag in said frame substantially as set'forth.

. 3. A mail bag catching device consisting of a' horizontal arm, a frame lunged thereto for folding vertically on one side of said arm, detachable means for locking said frame in horizontal position and a catch pivoted on said frame and adapted to be struck by the mail bag, as the latter is can ried into said frame-by the movement of a traimsaid catch beingturned thereby for holding said mail bag in said frame subslnntial-ly as set forth.

-l-. It if-shaped frame, in combination with an arm, means for attachingsaid frame to said arm and allowing the former tofold down at will, a strap and stud for detachably holding said frame horizontal and presented to receive a mail bag entering the same by the motion of a train and a ii-shaped catch pivoted on said trameand adapted to be turned by the impact of said bag for locking the latter in said frame substantially as set forth.

5. A pair of mail bag support ng arms which have pivot-ed spring-pulled terminal fingers adapted to hold a mail bag removably between them at its top and bottom, in. combination with" a third arm arranged in vertical series with the other two and pro vided with a mail bag catching device.

ll. In combination with a standard having a recess, a horizontal arm pivoted in said recess and allowed by the latter to incline in a vertical plane out of the horizontal position, a spring tending to draw said arm into said inclined position and a rigid. arm also attached to said standard, said arms being adapted to receive a 'mail bag on. their tips while the first mentioned arm is in horizontal position and hold-it removably be tween them by engaging it at the top and the bottom.- I

7. A pair of extensible and contractible ba holding arms, each consisting of a main part, a longitudinally adjustable section, means for locking said section to said part in any position of such adjustment and a pivoted spring-held terminal finger adapted to yield in the direction of motion of the mail bag as the latter is struck and caught and, to permit said bag to slip from it sub-" stantially as set forth.

8.-A mail bag holding arm, provided o opposite sides with two series of teeth, in combination with an extensible section bination with a section movable endwise along the same and having a dog formed thereon to engage the teeth of one of said series, a pawl pivoted to the main part of said arm and engaging the other series of teeth, a. guide loop attached to the main part of said arm and surrounding said section and another loop connecting said pawl to saidsection substantially as set forth.

, 10. In combination with a mail bag catching device, an arm and extensible section therefor, means attached to said section for engaging the main part of said arm on opposite sides and means for guiding the said section it is adjusted longitudinally sub stantially set forth. I x

11. In combination with a standard, a

pair of mail bag holding arms and an additional arm all attached thereto and a mail bag catching devlce attached to thls additional arm eachof these three arms b0111 l b provided With a section wh1ch is ad ust-able outward and inward and means attached to said section for engaging the main parts of said arms on two opposite sides substantially as set 'fortln v 12. In combination with a pair of standards, two extensible mail bag holding arms attached to one of said standards, a third arm also attached thereto and extensible, a

mail bag catching device carried by this third arm, another pair of mail bag holdingarms on the other standard which are provided with yielding tips, but not extensible, athird arm on this latter standard and a 'mail bag catching device onthis latter arm substantially as set forth.

13. In combination, with a mail car, a standard pivoted Within the same, provided 'with a mailbag Holding means and mailbag catching means and with extensible and eontractible arms adapted to be presented outwardly through the doorway or returned within the car, according to the direction in which the saidstandard is turned, substanv.tially as set forth.

In testimonywhereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. JAMES JEFFERSON CRUSE.

Witnesses:

W. Townes, It. A. Mti'ron. 

